Cheat Sheet: House and Senate Primaries in May

Primary season for the midterms begins in earnest in May, when voters head to the polls for some of this cycle’s marquee House and Senate contests.

By the end of next month, parties will know whether Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell survived a GOP primary in Kentucky (likely), whether Sen. Kay Hagan will face a top GOP opponent in North Carolina (increasingly likely), and whether Georgia Republicans are on track to get a choice nominee for Senate (probable, but who knows?).

And that’s just the top of the ticket. There are several other primary contests further down the ballot.

This is Roll Call’s one-stop shop for primaries in May, including top races, dates and poll closing times. Bookmark this post, and check out the At the Races blog for live results and commentary on every congressional primary next month.

May 6Indiana: The Hoosier State won’t play host to any high-stakes congressional primaries this cycle. Polls close at 7 p.m. EST.

Former Rep. Melvin Watt’s appointment to lead the Federal Housing Finance Agency prompted a crowded primary in the heavily Democratic 12th District.

“American Idol” runner-up Clay Aiken is battling former state Commerce Secretary Keith Crisco for the Democratic nomination in the 2nd District. The race took a turn for the negative, when Crisco began airing an attack ad on Aiken’s attendance to a commission he was appointed to by then-President George W. Bush. Whomever emerges from that primary will be the underdog to take on GOP Rep. Renee Ellmers.

Ohio: There’s not much congressional primary action in the Buckeye State this cycle. Freshman Republican Rep. David Joyce faces a primary from state Rep. Matt Lynch in the 14th District. Speaker John A. Boehner also faces some minor opposition within his own party. Operatives on both sides expect these Republicans to cruise to primary victory. Polls close at 7:30 p.m.

May 13Nebraska: There’s a competitive GOP primary for the open Senate seat in the Cornhusker State — and the results will likely to determine the state’s next senator. Midland University President Ben Sasse and former state Treasurer Shane Osborn are the two leading contenders fighting for the nomination. Last polls close at 9 p.m. EST.

West Virginia: West Virginia will feature number of competitive races in 2014. But the open 2nd District contest to replace Rep. Shelley Moore Capito, who is running for Senate, will host the most primary action. Former Maryland GOP Chair Alex Mooney is running a solid campaign but faces a challenge from former U.S. International Trade Commissioner Charlotte Lane, among other Republicans. The winner from that primary will face likely Democratic nominee Nick Casey, the former West Virginia Democratic Party chair. The 2nd District race is rated a Leans Republican contest by Rothenberg political Report/Roll Call. Polls close at 7:30 p.m. EST.

May 20Arkansas: There are two open House seats — in the 2nd and 4th districts — in the Land of Opportunity. In the primaries for both races, if candidates do not receive a majority of the vote, there will be a runoff on June 10. Polls close at 8:30 p.m. EST.

In the 2nd District, state Rep. Ann Clemmer and banker French Hill are vying for the GOP nomination. The winner will face the likely Democratic nominee, Patrick Henry Hays, the former mayor of North Little Rock whom Democrats tout as a top recruit.

In the 4th District, state House Majority Leader Bruce Westerman and energy executive Tommy Moll are seeking the GOP nomination. The winner of that contest will face the likely Democratic nominee, James Lee Witt, a former director of the Federal Emergency Management Agency.

Georgia: There are several wide-open primaries in the Peach State. Look for many of them to head to a July 22 runoff, which is triggered when no candidate receives at least a majority of the vote. Polls close at 7 p.m. EST.

The races to replace Reps. Jack Kingston, Paul Broun and Phil Gingrey in the 1st, 10th and 11th districts, respectively, are some of the hardest races to handicap on the entire midterm map this cycle. At least six candidates are vying for the GOP nomination in each of these safe Republican seats, including the son of a former congressman and former Rep. Bob Barr, R-Ga. None of the candidates are raising very much money. And due to the large number of candidates in each contest, built-in geographical bases are often diluted. Runoffs are almost assured in each of the three primaries, and political operatives can give a scenario for any of the nearly two-dozen candidates running in these three races to advance.

A handful of Republicans are also running for the chance to take on Democratic Rep. John Barrow in the 12th District.

Kentucky: Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell’s primary with businessman Matt Bevin has garnered a bevy of media attention. While McConnell has faced a spirited challenge from Bevin, the minority leader is expected to win on primary day. Last polls close at 7 p.m. EST.

Oregon: A competitive GOP Senate primary will take place in the Beaver State, with a number of candidates, including surgeon Monica Wehby and state Rep. Jason Conger. They both hope to challenge Democratic Sen. Jeff Merkley. Last polls close at 11 p.m. EST.

Pennsylvania: A competitive Democratic gubernatorial primary will probably overshadow any federal races in the Keystone State. But House race junkies should keep an eye on the Democratic primary in the 13th District. This primary, which features former Rep. Marjorie Margolies and three other Democrats, will likely determine the next member of Congress from this heavily Democratic district, located in Philadelphia and the surrounding suburbs. Polls close at 8 p.m. EST.

May 27Texas: There are two primary runoffs to watch in the Lone Star State. Last polls close at 9 p.m. EST.

Former U.S. Attorney John Ratcliffe will face longtime GOP Rep. Ralph M. Hallin a runoff after no candidate received enough support in the March primary. Hall, who turns 91 on May 3, received a boost following the primary from his colleagues. The Texas Delegation is rallying to help him win one final term in Congress. But with outside groups such as the Club for Growth supporting Ratcliffe, Hall could get upset.

Since we don’t fully know the sources of our traditions, we should realize that we aren’t free to change them without risking social havoc.

Bundle Up

Since the most anti-social passion of envy will always be with us, a free country that wishes to preserve liberty must be careful not to condone it by redefining envy’s demands as demands for equality and fairness.

Count Romney

Clay Aiken is running in Alabama not North Carolina.

YONATAN C

The Republican party and their cronies have done themselves a great disservice by holding the extension bill hostage since late last December. While they continued delaying and rejecting each proposal submitted in the senate, millions of families have suffered adversely financially. Millions of families have faced eviction, home foreclosures, personal bankruptcy, and homelessness, while the republican senate played “party politics”, using these families as bargaining chips, for political leverage, to further their political agenda. These are people with children who are suffering for no fault of their own, because of lay offs and corporate downsizing. These are not the “lazy” unemployed workers depicted in the press by some republicans in the senate. It’s always easy to point blame at others for failures, rather to one’s own self for failed policies. Remember, it wasn’t the poor and unemployed that caused our economy “meltdown” several years ago. It was the greedy bankers that were responsible, and needed bailing out with taxpayer’s dollars. Which after the bail outs, gave each other huge bonuses. Now the republican party, with senators such as John Boehner, are holding the much needed help for these families as leverage for the passing of their OIL bill in the senate. Sadly, this is what it all comes down to. I hope the republicans are prepared for the tremendous backlash by these millions of families and their loved ones in the coming elections. They may not care at the moment, but I assure you that they will realized their mistake when the democrats win by another landslide. The republicans have proven themselves to represent only the interests of a chosen few in our great country.